Thursday, March 26, 2015

What’s the use of
drought tolerant perennials? There are several reasons as to why to incorporate
them into the garden. To mention a few: the plants that are considered drought
tolerant have key characteristics that help them survive moderate to severe
drought; planting or planning a drought tolerant garden will conserve one of
our most valuable resources – water; and believe it or not you will have a
garden jammed pack with lots of color and action. Several of the plants listed
serve more than one purpose in the garden than just being drought tolerant. For
example: some plants will deter deer and rabbits; attract hummingbirds and
butterflies to the garden; can be used as herbs for cooking; and lastly used in
fresh-cut or dried floral arrangements. And, when you started planning this
project of drought tolerant perennials you were thinking dull, drab garden.
Right?

Let me introduce
to you drought tolerant gardening that will have lots of color and action. When
planning your garden for drought we need to consider a few things such as light,
drainage, soil conditions, and watering. Full sun is the best for all the
perennials listed below. The general rule of thumb is that an area is
considered full sun if that area receives 6 or more hours a day of sunlight.
Drainage is essential to the plants. When planning the garden do not plant in
an area where water collects after rainy weather because the plants will not
tolerate wet feet or soggy conditions. Drought tolerant plants will do better
in soils that are not rich in compost. Save these areas for the plants that
liked to be pampered. Even though the plant is considered to have drought
tolerance the plant needs to be established in the ground and this usually
takes a few months to several months for a plant to be established. Below are a
few of the plants listed as drought tolerant perennials. I chose these
varieties because the plants are more than drought tolerant; the plants will
provide color, attract wildlife and will serve as more than one purpose in the
garden.

Achillea millefolium – Yarrow: has lacy, fern-like foliage with flat,
round blossoms in a range of colors, white, yellow, red, peach, and pink that
bloom from summer to fall. Zones: 3-9. Height from 18-36 inches. Spacing: 10-12
inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Yarrows tolerate poor soil and can be used
in borders, mass plantings, and rock gardens. The flowers attract butterflies
and hummingbirds to the garden and can be used in fresh or dried arrangements.
Periodically deadhead faded flowers.

Agastache spp. – Hummingbird Mint: is a relative of the mints and blooms
summer through fall. Zones: 3-9. Height: 24 to 36 inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches
apart. Light: Full sun to partial shade. Uses: Attracts butterflies and
hummingbirds to the garden. The scented, mint like foliage is used in cooking
and potpourri.

Echinacea purpurea – Coneflower: There are many varieties of coneflower
available. They come in a variety of heights, colors, single or double flowers.
Any variety you choose will be drought tolerant. Single or double flowers are
excellent for fresh cut arrangements. Attract numerous butterflies to the
garden. Trim spent flower heads to extend blooming. Zones: 4-9. Height: 28-36
inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches apart. Light: Full sun. Uses: Attracts
butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden, perennial, wildflower, mixed or
cottage gardens, mass plantings, companion plant to Rudbeckia – Black-eyed
Susan.

Echinops spp. – Globe Thistle: One of the underused drought tolerant
plants and the flowers are good to use in fresh or dried floral arrangements.
Trim spent flower heads to extend blooming. The flowers attract hummingbirds
and butterflies to the garden. Rabbit and deer are repelled by this plant in
the garden, which is another plus to using this plant. Zones: 3-10. Height:
42-46 inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches. Light: Full sun. Uses: Borders, mixed
flower gardens, companion plant to grasses.

Gaillardia grandiflora – Blanket Flower: The flowers are good to use in fresh
floral arrangements. Trim spent flower heads to extend blooming. The flowers
attract butterflies to the garden. Rabbit and deer are repelled by this plant
in the garden, which is another plus to using this plant. Zones: 3-10. Height:
2-3 feet. Spacing: 1-2 feet. Light: Full sun. Uses: Borders, cottage gardens,
cutting gardens.

Lantana camara – Lantana: Lantana plants come in a variety of
heights, which can be used as groundcovers to shrubs. The plants provide
non-stop color from spring to first frost. Zones: 7-11, outside zone 7 the
plant is treated as an annual. Height: 1-5 feet, depending on cultivar. Spacing:
24-48 inches, depending on cultivar. Light: Full sun. Uses: Profuse bloomer
until first frost. The low growing varieties can be used as seasonal color or
evergreen groundcover, annual, flowering shrub, containers, hanging baskets, beach
plantings. The bright flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Oenothera spp. – Evening Primrose: Masses of flowers that open in the evening
and close in the morning. A good groundcover to plant around outdoor
entertainment areas, especially nighttime activities. Zones: 4-9. Height: 15
inches. Spacing: 18-24 inches. Light: Full sun. Uses: Groundcover for sunny areas.

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Banana plants are
one of the most versatile plants to use in the landscape or in containers. The
banana plant can be fruiting or ornamental in nature, and both will produce an
inflorescence (flower), but only the fruiting varieties produce edible bananas.
Banana plants enhance a tropical allure to your landscape with their lush green
foliage with leaves measuring 2 feet wide x 6 feet long. Bananas have a fast
growth rate and some varieties will produce fruit within 9 months after
planting.

Can you imagine
harvesting bananas growing in your yard or container? Impossible you think. It
is possible to plant, grow, and harvest bananas from your backyard or container
with the newer cultivars that are extremely cold-hardy and have high wind
resistance. Some of the cultivars are hardy to USDA zone 7. For the gardener
that resides outside of USDA zone 7 one can grow the banana plant in a
container; and bring the plant in just before first frost in your area. For
winter protection in the garden, heavily mulch the area where the banana is
planted.

Let’s talk about the wonderful
benefits of growing fruit in the garden or in containers. Home-grown bananas
have a richer, fuller, and better taste than store bought since you pick them
yourself. Home-grown bananas are easy and inexpensive to grow as well. Growing
bananas has a lot of appeal: it can involve the entire family from the little
ones to the teens. As well as being an educational tool, the time the family
spends in the garden is quality time spent together, and can give one a sense
of pride. For gardener’s who live in a condo, apartment, or townhome bananas
can be grown in a container. There are a few key elements to consider before
growing or planting your bananas: Location or container(s), soil amendments or
potting soil, planting, fertilizer, and insecticide.

Choosing a Location: Choose an area that gets 5 - 6 hours
of full sun; and if, you have an area that receives more than 6 hours of
sunlight that’s all right, too.

Choosing a Soil
Amendment or Potting Soil:
When choosing a soil amendment or potting soil there are several commercial
soils available, and choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences,
some of the choices are inorganic verses organic, with moisture control or
without moisture control, with timed-release fertilizer or without fertilizer.
Some soils are especially formulated for fruit and vegetables and can be used
as a potting soil in containers or a soil amendment to the planting area.
Bananas especially like lots of compost either applied on top of the soil or
mixed in with soil amendments and soil from the original planting hole when
planting in the garden.

Planting: All bananas are slightly acid-loving plants
and require an acid-loving soil. When planting use a soil recommended for
azaleas and camellias, or fruit and vegetables. Dig the hole twice as wide as
the root ball and deep. Use a 50 – 50 mix of original soil from the planting
hole and the azalea/camellia soil, or fruit and vegetable soil. Add this
mixture to the planting hole. The root ball of the banana needs to be one (1)
inch above the soil line. Fill the planting hole with the soil mixture. Water
in well. After watering add a root stimulator or Super Thrive. These are
products that you mix with water and help reduce transplant shock and also help
stimulate the roots. Use once a week for the first month and then after, once a
month for six months. Did you know that leftover coffee or tea grounds help
increase the acidity level of your soil? Instead of throwing away your leftover
coffee or tea grounds away your bananas will benefit from sprinkling the grounds
around your bananas. Let the grounds dry in a container and one can add the
grounds daily or weekly. Cover with a layer of mulch one to three inches thick.
Spacing: 8 to 10 apart.

Choosing a Fertilizer: Fertilizers are the vitamins or the essential
elements that a plant needs to grow and stay healthy. The soil, atmosphere, and
water usually provide the plant with these essential nutrients, but there are
times when the soil is generally nutrient deficient and in this case a
fertilizer is essential. There are sixteen essential elements to plant
nutrition. These elements are separated into two categories, macronutrients and
micronutrients. The macronutrients are: oxygen [O], carbon [C], hydrogen [H],
nitrogen [N], phosphorus [P], potassium [K], Calcium [Ca], magnesium [Mg],
sulfur [S] and are required by the plant in large amounts. Oxygen, carbon and
hydrogen are provided to the plant by the atmosphere and water. Required by the
plant in small amounts are the micronutrients, which are: iron [Fe], manganese
[Mn], zinc [Zn], baron [B], copper [Cu], molybdenum [Mo], and chlorine [Cl].
These elements are the building blocks to plant nutrition and health. Bananas are heavy feeders and require
sufficient amounts of water. Keep
the planted area free from grass 2 – 5 feet away from the trunk. Fertilize
every month with a fertilizer recommended for Citrus, Avocado, and Mango, a
10-6-4, a 6-4-4, an 8-10-8, or a 6-2-12. Apply at a rate of 1 ½ pounds per
month up to 5 pounds per plant. Young plants apply ½ pound per month. Apply the
fertilizer 4 feet away from the trunk. These recommendation are bananas planted
in the ground. For containers or newly potted containers apply the recommended
rate directly on top of the soil and water in well.

Choosing an
Insecticide: When choosing an
insecticide there are several available at your local garden center and
choosing one is a matter of your gardening preferences, and while I was growing
bananas I had an IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach method. I would only
use Safer Soaps or Horticultural Oils on all the bananas that I grew, and
realistically I hardly had to spray the bananas at all. I was constantly
watching for any insect or worm that would start eating my prize bananas, and
when I did see one I would simply dispose of the insect. Realistically, banana
plants are usually pest-free. When growing the plants in a container or inside
is when one should keep a lookout for insects, especially spider mites.

Watering: Of all the ingredients that have been
mentioned for banana growing or banana container gardening success, water, is
the most important to a successful banana grower, whether in the garden or in containers.
The soil for your bananas will need to be consistently moist at all times, but
not soggy wet. Banana plants will not tolerate flooding. The water needs to
drain within 24-48 hours after flooding has occurred. The water source should
be city water or treated water. This is one of the reasons of previous years
Salmonella outbreaks on produce; the produce that were recalled received
Salmonella during either the growing process or the production process. To
date, I have not heard of any bananas being recalled. Due to all the current
recalls of produce, more gardeners are starting to grow their own fruits this
year versus previous years due to the recent outbreaks in store-bought produce.Just another reason to start growing
your own fruits, you supply the water, you supply the insecticide, and you know
exactly what ingredients went into your fruits. For states that are currently
under water restrictions, you can water your food crops, personal food garden,
or personal container garden without penalty. Wash all fruits before eating or
cooking, whether Home Grown or Store Bought.

Bananas are
clumping and send out underground rhizomes; in no time at all you will have a
whole grove of bananas. When growing bananas it is recommended to keep 3 to 6
suckers (plants) at various heights. Any more than 6 banana suckers should be
removed by cutting the sucker down to the soil line. When a banana blooms, it
is the flower that forms the fruit. Once the banana produces a flower and
fruits that stalk will die. When harvesting bananas, cut the banana bunch off
the tree, and then cut the entire banana stalk to the ground. Then, let a new
sucker replace the one that was just cut down. One can tell when the bananas
are ready to be harvested when the fruits start to turn yellow in color. If,
the bananas start to split before harvesting has occurred increase the water
times or the amount of water received by the plant. Listed below are a few
cultivars that are excellent choices for home gardeners.

Brazilian Dwarf Banana – Height 6 – 9 feet. Large leaves, good
provider of shade, and good wind resistance. Bananas can be eaten fresh or served
in other delicious treats. Zones: 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.

Grand Nain Banana – Height 6 to 8 feet. Good wind resistance. Fruits
at 6 feet, popular variety for desserts and other banana dishes. Fruit measures
11 to 12 inches long and very popular and used by world class chefs. This is
the variety typically associated with the Chiquita brand. Zones: 8, 9, 10.

Ice Cream Banana – Height to 15 feet. The skin of the fruit is
silvery-blue sheen. Considered the best tasting fruit with a hint of vanilla
ice cream. Zones: 8, 9, 10.

Misi Luki Banana – Height 10 to 12 feet.Misi Luki is an improvement over Lady Finger. This variety is
recommended to the home gardener for best tasting fruit, very disease resistant
and fruit that is 4 inches long. Zones: 8, 9, 10.